BACKGROUNDChief among Panay mountains and revered in local culture and tradition, Mt. Madjaas in Culasi, Antique is one of the most challenging climbs in the Visayan islands. Some questions have been raised whether Mt. Madjaas (or Madja-as; Madia-as) is the highest or second highest in Panay, but for now it is recognized as the highest. And regardless of this dispute, Madja-as is certainly the mountain that makes Antique a truly rewarding destination for climbing.

Madjaas means 'mataas' in some local dialect, but in English it can suitably described as 'lofty' instead of just tall. This loftiness will definitely be felt in the summit which opens up to the view of Western Panay island and the surrounding seas, but it extends to the mossy forests of the mountain, in which several unique flora and found have been identified.

Access is still limited and Madjaas is currently a relative-unexplored peak, but as we get more information we expect that Madjaas' rightful place will be restored.

ITINERARY

Day 0 Travel time from Kalibo, San Jose or Iloilo to Culasiand off to Brgy. Flores.

Day 3 0500 Assault to summit for sunrise0530 ETA Mt. Madjaas summit0630 Head back to Camp0700 Back at Camp 3 / Breakfast / Prepare packed lunch0800 Start descent1200 Lunch on trail1700 Back at Brgy. Flores jumpoff. Spend the night or take arranged transportation back to Culasi

Day 4Sidetrips / Head back to Iloilo or Kalibo

SPECIAL CONCERNSTransportation. To access Culasi, take a bus from your arrival point in Panay Island, more frequently Iloilo (4-5 hours ride) or Kalibo (2-3 hours). Then take a tricycle or jeep to the jumpoff at Brgy. Flores.

Contacts. We are still in the process of gathering contacts and more information about Mt. Madjaas.

TRIVIAThe mountain's Malay-sounding name has in fact some Malayan origin, tracing its roots from the story of the Ten Bornean Datus and the ancient "Confederation of Madjaas".

Madja-as is an unfinished business for me. my first attempt last 2006 was aborted due to some physical discomfort of my climb buddy. we were "this" close to reaching the summit. we already spent the night at the house of the guide "kuya oswe" only to hear some bad news from my companion the following day. "ser, masama pakiramdam ko. next time nlng tau tumuloy ser...jan lang ang bundok na yan"...3 months later, his team (a popular outdoors shop in manila) scaled the mighty madja-as.

from what i know, madja-as is just the third among the highest mountains in Panay, the first being Baloy-Daku, boasting of just one successful summiting by Iloilo mountaneers, way back 1997 (after a series of failed attempts by the teams in iloilo and antique). Mt Nangtud comes in second. all three could probably pose a challenge to the might of halcon and g2.

To ascend mt madja-as, one has to secure a permit from the PDCC in San Jose. The PNP of Culasi is really strict about this. Mountains in Panay close from time to time owing to rebel insurgences. The authorized guide in Mt Madja-as,"kuya oswe" has some tall tales to tell about his personal experience of this intermittent political instability in Panay. Mr. Broderick Tra-in is in charge of mountaineering activities in the region. got his number. i'll just txt u that sir gid. are you goung there with emman's team. i gave Bro's number to Ivan.

based on my data gathering and own recordings at the summit of madjaas, its elevation exceeds 2100masl -- well beyond the highest estimates for nangtud (2080m); thus madjaas in my opinion is the highest mountain in panay island.

oswe (josue/oswein) was also our guide and he told us about his colorful life, including his experiences with the rebels and the missing person, "elyovic" gutierrez who has never been found since he disappeared six years ago.

i am from kalibo and madia-as really is somewhat untouched. another dream trek of mine will be tracing the aklan river from its delta in kalibo all the way up to its source somewhere up in the aklan-antique border. terrain is thick jungle.

we used to have a house-help who resides in one of the baranggays in those mountains and she said that there all sorts of wildlife out there, deer, wild boars, etc...

other side trips if you are all planning to peak madia-as are the caves in buruanga (aklan), and boracay.

anybody interested in climbing peaks in panay island can contact the Iloilo Mountaineering Club Inc.we have been climbing since 1979.we have climbed MT. nangtud in Barbasa Antique which is a several meters higher than MT.Madiaas on GPS reading

if there's any other group or individuals who are planning to climb mt madia-as on the summer of 2010, pls e mail me at hans96phil@yahoo.com for info. i am very interested to join and i would like to invite my team, Himbing Adventures to join too. thanks.

gud evening guys... anybody here who knows theantique mountaineering society,,,? or anyone who could guide us in madjass...? pls contact me with this number 09215606022, we will be climbing this mountain on january 26, 2010. tnx in advance.

Mas madaling akyatin ang madia-as kapag sa sta juliana dadaan. Last 2004 when we climbed there, another group took the alojipan trail even if the guide suggested that they take sta juliana instead because flores-alojipan is really long. They did not make it to the summit. Mang Oswe was our guide then. We were blessed by a sea of clouds at the summit although there's not so much to see there at the top, but the trail is what's truly interesting and challenging.

just like many Filipino names, there are many ways to spell "Madjaas" or "Madia-as" but we are preferring the spelling Madjaas. i refuse to accept that this is a wrong spelling, i believe that all of these are correct, but different ways to spell it. it's just that for the sake of uniformity we have to select one that is more commonly used and accepted.

New species ranging from insects to plants and animals are found in Mt. Madia-as, but as population growth has skyrocketed these past few years and the number of uneducated rises, people are somewhat relying to the mountain's resources like cutting of trees for "kaingin"/coal or catching endangered species and some plants like orchids for easy money. I hope that the local government of Culasi will help preserve the lushness of the mountain. I have been there and found that large trees of hundreds of years have been cut down to timbers down the riverbanks. Please help preserve our beloved treasure, Mount Madia-as

Hello, share ko lang po. We are mountaineers from Cebu and just recently reached the summit of the mighty Madjaas. We were informed that our group is the 1st to summit this year. :) It was indeed a tough climb. We aimed to traverse from Alojipan jump-off to Flores but we backtracked after reaching the summit because the guide (Adonis) said that he will no longer accompany us to do the traverse. He said that we will not make it and the trail is dangerous due to strong winds and rain. We were disappointed but happily contented to have reached the summit. The tourism officer (Sir John Sumanting) helped us in processing all the requirements for the climb. Very hospitable and accommodating. We went to Malalison Island after the tiring trek. Malalison is said to be one of Madjaas' and Kanlaon's children.

Good day fellas! We just scaled Mt. Madjaas and it was worthwhile. The longest hike in my life. 21 hours during our third day. From 130AM to 1030PM. The trail isn't that easy especially during the 3rd day. Expect more crawling. The varied landscapes is a plus when climbing this mountain. Awesome view of Culasi town and nearby municipalities. Loved the sunrise and sunset.

About the Blog

The Lonely Planet-recommended web portal for hiking in the Philippines, PinoyMountaineer has the most comprehensive list of guides for mountains and outdoor destinations in the country, as well as bulletins to keep you updated with the local mountaineering scene. This blog is authored by Gideon Lasco, avid mountaineer and medical doctor, and was established in 2007 with the help of Ivan Henares of the award-winning travel blog Ivan About Town.